This is a guest post by Karen Sealey, specialising in tarot card readings.

5 Free Ways to feel great about Life

No matter what happens, there is always something to be grateful about life. Not just life in general either, your life specifically.

With almost all of us in pursuit of wealth and success, we fail to keep up with the speeding pace of life and consequently fail to connect with ourselves and happiness can seem a long way away. There is no point spending your life always waiting for something to make you happy – self-sustained happiness is the best kind and the easiest to attain too.

Therefore, here are five simple methods you can work into your everyday life to enrich your sense of goodwill and, ultimately, be happier:

1. Three acts of gratitude

Serotonin is the happy chemical that your brain produces naturally when you experience something that makes you laugh or smile. Even a fake smile works towards producing this chemical, but it is much more uplifting to genuinely smile or laugh and there are things you can do to cause this.

Watch one of your favourite comedy movies or sitcoms, or listen to an upbeat piece of music you know will have a positive effect. Granted, these specific suggestions can’t be done every single day, so it’s important to focus on some more of the simple things that you are grateful for – climbing into a warm bed at night, you and your family have their health, a hilarious joke with old friends – just thinking three happy thoughts a day, whether they’re the same or not, certainly helps boost how you feel about life.

2. Exercise regime

Exercising is another great Serotonin boost. Ideally you should be physically getting up and moving about every hour that you’re awake, so this is especially important for those who sit at a desk on a computer all day in their daily work. A 15-20 walk outside during lunch will give your body a much needed stretch, not to mention the fresh air.

Exercise can also be incorporated into morning routines as well – get your body moving with a brisk walk or walk to work once or twice a week if you can. A morning exercise program gets your brain working better and sets you up much better for the rest of the day.

3. Spontaneous acts of kindness

All of us need social interaction and our experiences of this on a daily basis range from hugely positive right through to hugely negative. You will never be able to control the moods and actions of others, but you can control your mood and actions towards them.

It’s important to respond and not react. A response is controlled, thought-out, measured behaviour whereas a reaction is often an impulse emotional response such as shouting that is not surprising to see people respond negatively to and are also likely to remember long after the event.

You’ll find that your responses become naturally more positive as you get used to doing spontaneous acts of kindness for friends, family or complete strangers. What’s more, people will respond more positively towards you and will be more forgiving when you have an off day, offering support in return for when you helped them.

4. Meditation

Our lives are hectic most of the time; full of noise, communication and interaction, sometimes we just need time away from these external influences to listen to what our body needs.

Meditating is about being in the present and getting your brain and body in a state of relaxation. Time for peace where you can listen to your breathing and feel your heart beating with no outside factors disturbing you.

Take any small chunk of time you can get, even just five or ten minutes, switch off your phone, TV and computer and spend the time meditating in a calm and controlled manner. The longer you meditate, the calmer you will feel after, and you might even find this calmness impacts on the positive respond towards you from others.

5. Keep a journal

This is another way of feeling great about life that branches off from the daily acts of gratitude. Keeping and filling in a journal every day is a handy method of remembering all the good things that have happened to you, all the memories that meant a lot.

Keep note of family days out, a thoughtful gesture or something that you really split your sides laughing at. It may not always be an experience as a whole, but smaller things within it; think about why you’re including it. How did it make you happy? And why?

With a journal, everything that you’ve enjoyed doing will be in one place and, if you’re ever feeling down, reliving the experience by reading your journal is one thing that is guaranteed to instantly put a smile on your face and boost how you feel.

For more ways to feel great about life, visit Psychic Ether and book a reading today. Our team of friendly psychics will put you at ease and comfortably chat with you as we both search for ways unique to everyone.

Karen Sealey is part of the team at Psychic Ether and has been specialising in tarot card readings ever since first picking up a deck in 1988. She has since trained extensively in a range of holistic therapies, paying particular focus on how a person’s choices impact upon their life.

This is a guest post by Hannah Brooklyn, who traveled across states and shares her experiences through writing in Travel and Health Niche.

5 Things to do when you hit a low point in Life

There are many things that you can do to help lift yourself out of a rut. Becoming motivated may not seem easy to do when you’re at a low point in life. By following a few of these tips, you will be on your way to overcoming your low feeling and being happy again.

Ask Why: Why are you feeling the way that you do? Where did this feeling come from? How can you fix it? Once you find the answer to those questions you can go about fixing the origin of your problem. Dig deep to find the root cause. Don’t allow this problem to return and affect you again. The best form of security is prevention.

Buy Yourself Something To Increase Your Mood: Sometimes we give so much time and energy to other people. This can drain us. Sometimes we need to focus on ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself a gift once in a while. Sometimes you can’t feel good on the inside, no matter how hard you try, so it’s time to use outside sources to feel better. Buy something that specifically makes you feel good. If you can, go out have fun for a change. This will increase your mood significantly.

Exercise and Eat Healthy: Working out and breaking a sweat will immediately put you in a good mood. Reaching a low point in life could be attributed to depression. When the bad feelings come you may feel really uncomfortable. Eating healthy will make you feel alive again and full of energy. You will feel better as a result of thinking clearly. Eating raw vegetables and fresh fruits will help remove the impurities from your brain and actually help your mind with concentrating on solutions.

Pray: If you believe in a higher power, pray to it. Ask it for guidance and blessings to help you overcome your problems. If you don’t believe in a higher power then meditate to yourself and get spiritual. Calm your mind and seek spiritual guidance from Mother Nature. Go to a relaxing beach and listen to the waves. Feel the wind flow through your body, and connect with the vibration and energy from the ocean. After a while, you’ll receive an answer to your problems from the universe. Just doing this act alone will help lift your mood tremendously.

Use the Law of Attraction: You are what you attract. Most likely you’re feeling low because you’ve attracted it. You get exactly what you focus on. Focus on the positive and positive things will attract to you. Some people may find it hard to focus on happy things in a time of despair. Use affirmations and repeat positive phrases to yourself over and over again. You will feel your mood start to lift. If none of these tips help you to increase your low mood, then it may be time to seek some professional help. Being stuck in a constant low point in life is a sign of a possible mental disorder. Sign up for your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) so you can get the professional help you need to start feeling better today!

Perpetually bitten by the travel bug, Hannah has traveled across twenty states in India and Nepal, Switzerland, Italy and Australia. She shares her experiences best through writing in Travel and Health niche. She engages in all types of outdoor adventure, explores the local way of life.

This is a guest post by Hannah Brooklyn, who traveled across states and shares her experiences through writing in Travel and Health Niche.

8 Ways on How to Boost Your Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is trust in oneself and one’s abilities. How does one boost this self-confidence? Below are some of the ways.

Dress Well

Dressing affects the way a person feels about himself. Dressing nice changes the way one looks at himself and makes one feel presentable and successful. This is done by wearing neat clothes, shaving and following the latest fashion trends closely.

Take Pride in Own Good Qualities

Think about things which make your personality great like ability to withstand pressure, negotiation skills or sense of humour. It makes you to admire your inner self, your personality. Write them down on paper and whenever you feel low, remind yourself about them.

Compliment People

It is said that when we are negative about ourselves we tend extend those had feelings to others around us. Some even go to a point of insulting others. Avoid negative talk about others who are not present and learn a culture of praising them and in this case you will get loved and in the long run you build your self-confidence significantly without even knowing. Get rid of negativity sources as many as you can, sit down and think about all of them. These are the things that can bring you down at any time. These sources may include friends or a career path.

Good Posture

People with bad posture are seen as lacking self-confidence. You do this because you don’t feel important. Practicing good posture makes you feel more confident in what you do. You have to stand upright and make steady eye contact and the result is positive impression from people around. Making eye contact will make you feel that you are an important person to talk to.

Learn to Speak

Many people have unjustified fear of speaking up in a group. They think that others will judge their ideas as stupid. It is true that the people you fear have the same problems as you use the same small groups to build your confidence and become a better public speaker.

Focus on Contribution

Focus on others than being self-centred because this will help you not to worry about your failures so much. The more you contribute to the outside world, the more you gain self-confidence. Contribution will eventually be rewarded with success and recognition.

Act Positive

Put the positive thinking into action in order to develop you self-confidence. As a matter of fact, you are what you do and if you change what you do, you change yourself. Even in difficult situations, tell yourself that you can. Don’t let negative thoughts or negative actions of others to make you think that you don’t have what it takes to achieve your goals. Remain positive.

Work Out

Physical fitness has a great impact on self-confidence and if you have a problem with your shape definitely you will feel less attractive or energetic. Having the will to work it out will make you feel better. In order to build self-confidence one has to have qualities like courage, curiosity and constancy.

Perpetually bitten by the travel bug, Hannah has traveled across twenty states in India and Nepal, Switzerland, Italy and Australia. She shares her experiences best through writing in Travel and Health niche. She engages in all types of outdoor adventure, explores the local way of life.Presently working for Turkey visa ,a visa providing service.

This is a guest post by Dora Houston, working as an essay writing specialist at academic essay purchase.

One should have big dreams and should aim high in life. Goal setting is the most important part in life for every individual. Ambitious people set high goals and strive to reach them, yet some others just let their life take its own course without doing anything proactively. Every activity needs proper planning. Any business enterprise no matter whether it is big or small presupposes excellent planning. Setting short term goals are the prerequisites for long term goals later in life.

1. It is desirable to write our plans, dreams, hopes and values. One can think with paper and pen in hand to jot down whatever comes to mind immediately. Writing your goals down helps you to segregate them later into the possible and impossible ones. One does not have to worry if some of the goals sound difficult at the first glance. Once you have written everything down, the next step is to rule out those ones who seem highly impossible to you or those who you feel do not have much value.

2. Once everything is on paper in terms of black and white, one has to choose the most important goals. Select two or three which need not be very specific in nature. Those which sound a little vague at the present moment would become very clear sometime later in life.

3. Under each goal you can write the probable ideas using which you would achieve your goals.

4. Be specific in the next step and write down the ways to achieve each of those goals. Under each goal you should have the ways to go about doing it.

5. Segregate short term goals and write them down on a separate sheet of paper. Short term goals must have a date by which you should achieve them. Fixing a deadline this way also helps us to work towards achieving them. We should also be dedicated and committed to it.

6. Each short term goal should be listed along with the steps to go about achieving it and also the date by which you think it should be accomplished.

Not having long term goals in life is a major point of concern and it would exactly be a void. Let the goals be very basic, but it is extremely important to have long term goals. Setting long term goals is like planning for your future. Once you planned future goals, your present becomes clearer. As you go on achieving short term goals and also a few initial steps towards some long term goals, you will start feeling contented. You would have lot of achievements to your credit as days go by. Therefore, it is highly essential to have short term goals which help us in setting and achieving our long term goals. Just as failure is the stepping stone to success, short term goals are the entry points through which you traverse a longer path and achieve your long term goals in life.

Motivation is the highly essential thing in life. One should have high levels of motivation in order to aim and achieve big things in life. With motivation one would be able to take a few steps every day towards realizing their dreams in life which will ultimately give them a sense of contentedness.

I am Dora Houston, currently working as an essay writing specialist at academic essay purchase, which is an online platform for academic essay purchase and other writing assistance. I am also providing aid to students on career possibilities and other academic success related topics. Besides, I enjoy writing about current trends and innovations in education, technology, motivation and traveling.

This is a guest post by Sandra Mills freelance health, career, and travel writer. She enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures.

Why do you want to travel? Popular reasons include relaxing, seeing famous sights and broadening your horizons. Excuses can keep you from pursuing your dreams, though. Address these excuses head and then stop making them as you make travel plans today.

Travel Takes Too Much Time

Job, family and other commitments can keep you from traveling for pleasure. But you know that it’s possible to tweak your schedule and make time to pursue relaxing and fulfilling travel.

Plan weekend getaways. Short weekend trips allow you to travel in short spurts. If possible, take a three-day weekend several times a year as you indulge your passion for sightseeing and exploration.

Schedule long vacations at least a year in advance. This extended planning time ensures you obtain your passport and other travel documents, buy travel tickets and arrange reliable pet sitting months or weeks in advance instead of at the last minute.

Travel Jeopardizes Work

Your job is important, but it shouldn’t keep you from enjoying life. Whether you recently started a new job or work in an established career, these are three things to consider that will give you time to travel this year.

Ask your boss about ways to increase available vacation time. Working a few extra overtime hours each week, trading days with coworkers or combining sick and vacation time could boost your available vacation days.

Spend part of your vacation working. Ideally, vacations are for getting away from the office, but you may need to agree to check in via email at the very least. Be sure to set boundaries for how much time you’ll work and what tasks you’ll do so that you’re not spending all your travel time at work.

Consider quitting your job. If you’re unhappy in your career and longing to travel, this seemingly drastic option may be one to think about. Shaking things up by leaving your current position will give you a fresh start when you return. Likewise, use your marketable skills to work while you travel, whether that means you perform manual labor, waitress or consulting online.

Travel Neglects the House

A home can become an invisible tether since it requires regular upkeep. You can maintain your home and travel, though, with creative solutions.

Hire a house sitter. He or she can keep up with the lawn maintenance and perform other small tasks around the house as you travel.

Swap houses. You live in someone else’s home, and they live in yours as you get to see the world and know that your home is cared for.

Hire a caretaker. Maintenance, repairs and snow removal occur on schedule thanks to a live-in caretaker, neighbor, or a worker you’ve hired through a service.

Travel Costs Too Much Money

Vacations can be expensive as you pay for transportation to your destination, delicious local food and comfortable accommodations. You can afford the things you prioritize, however, so you’ll be able to afford to travel this year when you try a few money saving tips from Nomadic Matt.

Cut expenses. Brew coffee at home, stop eating out so often, downsize your car and shop secondhand for clothing and home goods. Place the money you save into your travel fund.

Increase your income. Take a second job at nights or on the weekends for extra cash. If you want to travel for weeks or months at a time, find a job in your host country where you bartend, work on farms or babysit.

Couch surf. Thousands of people across the globe participate in couch surfing. It provides affordable accommodations and can be a lot of fun!

Use a rail pass. If your destination allows for rail travel, buy a pass. It gives you flexible travel options and you’ll save the money you would have spent on individual trips, cab rides, etc. if you purchase one ahead of time, or at the station.

How many excuses do you have for not traveling? Put that energy into finding a workable solution instead. Stop making excuses and start planning your dream vacation today.

Sandra Mills is a freelance health, career, and travel writer. She enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures.

This is a guest post by Courtney Gordner, blogger/journalist of www.talkviral.com. Sharing what’s important in this viral world.

How to Stay Focused on Your Hopes and Dreams

It’s in there somewhere, whether it’s deep beneath the surface or on your mind all the time, you have a hope or a dream that drives you, something that pushes you toward finding fulfillment in what life has to offer. For some people, these dreams are motivators that are at the core of every one of their decisions, to others, dreams are considered farfetched, wishful thinking that they like to think about now and then but not focus on completely. Whatever your situation, having a hope or a dream for something more can be a positive driver to accomplish your full potential. But, they can easily be pushed aside for things that are considered certainties in life, must-haves – food, clothing, shelter – or even distractions. The ideas, certainties and dreams, don’t have to be in conflict. Below are a few ways to stay focused on your hopes and dreams while living a fulfilled life that covers all the bases.

1. De-clutter

One of the biggest hindrances to making hopes and dreams come true is clutter. It’s not hard to understand why. We live in a mobile society. From our tablets, Smartphones to the technology that follows us everywhere, we are bombarded with messages regarding what we should strive for, what our passions should be, and what it means to live a successful lifestyle. However, these messages can vary from what we view as successful, things we feel we should strive for. Because of this, the first step to making a hope or dream happen is to de-clutter your life. Look at the messages you’re faced with daily and make an effort to block out the negatives. Take time for yourself, take a yoga or meditation class, strive to sit in silence for ten minutes a day, take a walk or read a book. Whatever makes you feel at peace is a great place to start.

2. Create a Vision Board

Once you’ve made it part of your daily routine to unplug and make time for yourself, think about what drives you. What are some hopes and dreams you have for yourself. If you’re unsure, try to find ways to discover some. Look in magazines, online, start a Pinterest account, whatever it takes. Print our photos that relate to your dreams, think about where you want your life to go in the next ten years and beyond. Post those ideas onto a vision board that you place somewhere you see regularly: a bathroom mirror, your bedroom wall, your family’s kitchen, the living room… anywhere you spend time. Make an effort to add to the board whenever you feel something pull at your heart.

3. Choose Your Passions

From your dream board, think about what ideas you feel the most passionate about and find ways to convert those ideas into specific dreams. Do you want to open homeless shelters or drug rehab centers to help people move on with their lives? Would you like to travel and see the world? What about making it to the next level in a specific sport or activity? Passions vary from one person to the next. Find yours and you’ll find your dreams.

4. Set Goals and Deadlines

Once you know your dreams, decide to make them happen. To do this, set specific goals and benchmarks with deadlines. Think about what steps are required to turn your dreams into your reality. Do you need to take a few business courses? Maybe save a little extra money? Move to a new location? Whatever it takes, think about small goals that are doable as steps toward achieving your dreams. Making them happen may be easier than you think.

5. Find an Accountability Partner

If there is one thing in life that is certain, it’s that support makes anything a lot easier. This is especially true of fulfilling hopes and dreams that may seem completely farfetched from the get-go. Surround yourself with support. Find friends or family members that understand your vision without laughing about it, who are willing to take it seriously. Ask them to hold you accountable. Share your small steps and deadlines and ask them to check in from time to time. When you’re accountable for something, you’re more likely to make it happen. Hopes and dreams can be exciting motivators for real actions. Consider yours and take the steps above to start turning yours into reality.

Courtney Gordner is a blogger/journalist with a passion for life! She enjoys writing about everything and anything, read more from her on her blog, www.talkviral.com

This is a guest post by Omar Negron, Co-Creator of www.PixPirations.com. A site created to share “Images That Inspire” all across the web.

“Life will knock us down but we choose to get back up.” Mr Han (Image source)

Who wants to wake up early when sleeping is oh so sweet? If you are the workaholic type and are experiencing lack of sleep, this idea of waking up early might sound impossible. However, once you start practicing it, become accustomed to it and enjoy the benefits of it, I bet you it will become a no brainer and you simply will wonder why you did not do it sooner.

What are the 7 Reasons for Waking up Early?

#1 Waking up Early Will Pave The Way For You To Have a Healthier Diet

Admit it, being busy and all, you usually do not have time for breakfast. That is why the word “brunch” was invented – late for breakfast, early for lunch. Brunch might sound okay, and it works well with the kind of lifestyle that you have, but you know it is not as healthy as having breakfast. I believe that back in kindergarten, you were taught how important it is not to skip breakfast.

But if you need to be reminded again: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why? Your body needs to recharge after you sleep and having a nutritious breakfast will do just that. By having breakfast, you have enough energy to perform your activities for the day. Look at it as a kick starter. And also, if you think that skipping breakfast will help you shed some pounds, you are mistaken. The more you skip breakfast, the more likely you are to eat unhealthy snacks during the day – you just do not realize it.

#2 Wake Up Early To Have Enough Time For Exercise

Exercising, even just for 15 minutes, will boost your energy and enthusiasm. Exercising will improve your mood, it uplifts your emotions and relieves you from stress and that will truly be helpful in starting your day right. The good thing about having your work out in the morning is that you will usually not have any reason to cancel it. Regular exercise will not only help you be more energetic, it will also help you lose weight and it can prevent certain diseases like heart disease.

#3 Waking Up Early Will Make You More Productive

How? The logic is simple – you will have more time to do what you need and want to do. And since you will be able to have a healthier lifestyle, like eating breakfast and getting enough exercise in the morning, you gain more energy and enthusiasm and become more energized, efficient, focused and driven.

#4 Say Goodbye To Stress by Waking Up Early

I know you will not believe this, but the truth is that your day will turn out to be more positive if you wake up early. Wake up early and you will not need to rush and you will substantially decrease your risk of arriving late at work or school.

#5 Wake up Early and Watch the Sunrise

When was the last time you have witnessed a sunrise? I bet you can’t remember. Seeing the sun when it is just about to rise is just one of the many free pleasures that can bring you a sprinkle of positivity and start your day in a great way.

#6 You Will Develop a Great Sleeping Pattern

By prioritizing to wake up early, you will discipline yourself to sleep early and have ample hours of rest. You will have enough time to recharge your body and keep it healthy. Having adequate sleep will enhance your brain’s functioning, so when at work or school, you will be able to improve your focus and concentration.

#7 Wake up Early and Experience Solitude

Since more than half of the community is probably still in bed, you will be able to experience quietude, peace or tranquility. You may even be able to meditate and have certain stresses relieved. Sometimes, you get so busy that you do not even have time to think or breathe…to really take a good breath. Having your own quiet time will help you get in touch with your thoughts, creativity and emotions – which can help provide a healthier sense of well-being.

Now, How Do You Do It?

The following are 7 simple steps that you can take to help you accomplish your goal of waking up earlier:

1. Do not do it drastically. You can start by waking up 30 minutes earlier than usual. And then once you are accustomed to it, gradually cut down another 15 or 30 minutes until you arrive at your goal time.

2. Make sure you sleep early. One way to do so is to get in bed early. You can read a book until you feel sleepy, instead of your usual late night TV or internet activities.

3. Do not put your alarm clock within arm’s reach. Place it somewhere far enough that you will need to get up out of your bed. By doing so, it will be more unlikely for you to hit the snooze button, because, well…you are already up.

4. Be goal-oriented and provide a good reason for you to wake-up early. Whether it is to have breakfast with your family or to have a quick jog – setting up a morning task will give you extra motivation and a purpose to get up early.

5. Make sure that you take advantage of the extra time you gain when you wake up early. Do not wake up early and just stare at the ceiling. Remember that you wake up early to jump start your day – so exercise, have breakfast, or just simply move.

6. Do not rationalize and listen to the voice inside your head. It will tell you that a few more minutes of sleep will not hurt, but it sure will. So resist it and get up right away.

7. Be consistent. The more you do it, the more your body will be accustomed to it and maybe in the future, you will not need an alarm clock to wake you up – you simply will get up and right on time.